


The Weekly Assignment Meeting

by FB Wickersham (perpetfic)



Series: The Blue Stones [15]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Cleaner Stones, Female Protagonist, Gen, The Blue Stones, blue stones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 01:58:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12784491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/FB%20Wickersham
Summary: For every Blue Stone magical mess, there's a Cleaner out there scrubbing goo off the walls.





	The Weekly Assignment Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Self-betaed, so please lemme know if I typoed myself.

Cleaner Penelope looked at the to-do list and sighed heavily as she waited for the coffee to finish percolating. 

"I don't like hearing that right before the assignment meeting," Cleaner Toni said as she walked into the coffee nook. She made a face when she saw the coffee was still dripping.

"I just got the latest numbers from the research team. Chaos demon fuckery is going up exponentially."

Toni groaned. "Fuck. I thought so, but I was hoping it was just bad luck on my part to keep getting those scrub jobs."

"You're not getting one this week. I made sure." Penelope stepped away from the coffee maker as it clicked off. She'd been elbowed out of the way by Toni before, and Toni's elbows were razor sharp.

"Thanks." Toni poured herself a cup, then poured one for Penelope as well. "See you in a minute."

"Yeah." Penelope added two sugars to her coffee and carried it and her pile of assignments and legal pad into the Cleaner meeting room. She did a headcount. "Where's the new scrub?"

"Ming was on the phone when I left our desks," said Cleaner Mariah. 

"I'm here," Cleaner Ming said as she walked into the room. "Sorry. Finishing up a follow-up call."

"That's fine. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. The Yale archivist says there's been no repeat of dust moths, so it looks like the ward we put up is holding."

"Excellent. That was good thinking." Penelope hid her smile behind her coffee cup when Ming beamed at her. The newbies were always nervy about asking to try new cleaning tactics and took the praise when the tactics worked like they'd never been praised before. Ming sat, and Penelope picked up the assignment folders. "Let's get started."

The room quieted, the dozen people around the table giving Penelope their attention. "I have bad news--which Toni already got--and that's the the chaos demon situation is definitely increasing." Penelope waited out the extended groans and swearing that went around the table. 

"Does research have any idea when it'll stop?" asked Cleaner Claire.

"No. They can't start making projections until the activity drops, and it hasn't dropped since mid-July." Penelope held up the first assignment in her stack. "And speaking of, I've got a sorority house that needs scrubbed thanks to those little assholes."

Everyone gave everyone else the side-eye. They'd do it if they had to, but it wasn't the type of assignment anyone volunteered for. "Okay," Penelope said. She put the assignment sheet on the table and slid it down the table so it landed in front of Ming. "I don't like to play the low-stone card, but you're up, kid."

Ming skimmed the assignment sheet. "God, this sounds like a mess."

"They got a fight started. Stone Harrington got a broken rib from it, so the magic's gonna be even stickier than usual. Stone Harrington is on call if you need her."

"I'll text her. We were roommates during training."

"Good." Penelope held up the next assignment. "The Mystery Spot is spitting off excess ley power again. Research tells me our last fix held for seven months. So, first off, good work. That's a new record. Secondly, the first person who can get that thing to hold together for a year gets first shot at the coffee pot for a month."

"Hey!" Toni yelled.

"And we'll pin Toni to the ground so you don't lose an eye."

"Just give it to me already," Toni said and grinned ruefully as everyone else chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. All of you can kiss my ass."

"Do a full bleed read and report to research before you try anything," Penelope said. "They may have some ideas on a stronger ward based on any new information you can give them."

"Got it," Toni said, scribbling a note in the margin of the assignment sheet. 

"The Rare Book room at Powell's in Portland called in possible ghost activity surrounding a new collection they just took in." Penelope swallowed her smirk at the way half the table perked up. "It's children's books, and from the sounds of it, the ghost in question is a very pissed off child." 

Two-thirds of the excited deflated. Cleaner Beatrice half-heartedly raised her hand. "Can't be any worse than what the twins have been putting me through. I'll take it."

"And get away from the twins for a couple days," said Cleaner Ophelia.

"I will happily handle one screaming, incorporeal child to two who yell 'no' in unison over everything and shit constantly."

"Our hearts go out to Leon," Penelope said. "Make sure he calls us if he needs backup."

"Already texting him," Ophelia replied, phone in one hand. 

"I've got frat boy magic attempt number thirty-seven for the semester so far," Penelope said. "They managed to raise up zero demons but their frat house is now dripping in cock-eyed, half-assed residue. I've been informed it smells like beer."

Mariah waved her hand. "I'll take it. I haven't gotten to give a good, 'are you a fucking blue stone' lecture in awhile."

"Works for me." Penelope slid the assignment to her. "As for the rest of you, it's mid-term scrub time in the library. Shifts are posted on the big board. Auntie Ann will be supervising all shifts as she tries to get the stacks back in order, so please do not piss her off." Penelope finished her coffee and tapped twice on the table. "Meeting dismissed."

**Author's Note:**

> I asked for prompts on tumblr, and there was a request to know more about the cleaning crew for the Blue Stones. This was so fun to write, and I look forward to bringing these lovelies into more work. 
> 
> 1\. Blue Stone Cleaners are known by 'Cleaner NAME' so that there's no confusion as to their job. It's a specialized position that involves research and an incredible eye for detail. Weird shit happens when you clean up magic.
> 
> 2\. Ming showed up in the Wherebears story. Rather than a gap year, she's trying her hand at being a Cleaner. It's always seemed interesting, and she's not really sure what she wants to do for a career yet, so college or trade school isn't a good fit.
> 
> 3\. It's not uncommon for Cleaners to only work a year or two in the field. It's a lot of travel and a lot of magical scrubbing. It takes a lot. Penelope has been doing it about fifteen years and has no plans to leave. Claire and Toni are lifers as well.
> 
> 4\. Magic has strength if you believe in it. Frat boys like to try and raise demons to scare pledges. They believe they can, and boy do they try, but mostly they just end up with the frat house covered in magic goo. The guys who HAVE raised demons are 1) immediately apologetic and 2) usually have some connection to the Blue Stones lineage. It's an interesting cross-section that research tracks like you would not believe.
> 
> 5\. The Cleaner offices are part of The House, way in the back and under some strict security because sometimes being a Cleaner means bringing home something to study.


End file.
